White Apple facts for kids
Quick facts for kids White Apple |
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| Endiandra virens - mature leaves | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Endiandra
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| Species: |
virens
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| Synonyms | |
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The White Apple (scientific name: Endiandra virens) is a special tree found in Australia. It belongs to the laurel family, which includes many well-known trees. You can find this tree growing from the Boorganna Nature Reserve near Taree, New South Wales all the way up to Kin Kin in Southern Queensland.
People also call this tree by other names like Plumwood and New South Wales Walnut. It's a type of tree that grows in the lower parts of rainforests, often in areas with less rich soil and not too high up in the mountains.
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Discover the White Apple Tree
The White Apple tree, or Endiandra virens, is a small tree known for its bright green leaves and big, interesting fruit. It usually grows to be about 7 to 10 meters (23 to 33 feet) tall. The main trunk can be around 20 centimeters (8 inches) wide.
Its bark is usually a light color, often gray or whitish-gray. The bark isn't smooth; it has vertical lines, ridges, and bumps, and it feels a bit soft, almost like cork. New branches are green and smooth, while new shoots might have tiny hairs.
What Do the Leaves Look Like?
The leaves of the White Apple tree grow one after another along the stem. They do not have jagged edges. Each leaf is about 6 to 15 centimeters (2.4 to 6 inches) long and 2 to 3 centimeters (0.8 to 1.2 inches) wide.
They are shaped like a long oval or a spear, getting narrower at both ends. The leaf stem, which connects the leaf to the branch, is short, only 3 to 12 millimeters (0.1 to 0.5 inches) long. The top of the leaf is shiny green, while the underside is a bit duller. The scientific name virens actually means "bright green," which describes the color of its new leaves perfectly!
You can easily see the main vein (midrib), side veins, and a network of smaller veins on both sides of the leaves. These veins are raised, especially on the underside of the leaf. The midrib is slightly sunken on the top surface.
Flowers and Fruit: The Life Cycle
The White Apple tree produces small, cream-colored flowers. These flowers grow in clusters called panicles. You can usually see them from March to May. The flower clusters are shorter than the leaves.
The fruit of the White Apple tree is very unique. It ripens between April and July, though sometimes as late as November. It's a very large, round fruit, like a big drupe, measuring 4 to 10 centimeters (1.6 to 4 inches) across. When the fruit is ready, it turns yellow, orange, or red.
Inside each fruit, there's a single large seed, about 3 to 4 centimeters (1.2 to 1.6 inches) wide. If you want to plant the seeds, it's a good idea to remove the fleshy outer part (called the aril) first.
Understanding the Tree's Family
Scientists are always studying plants to understand them better. For the White Apple tree, there's a possibility that the trees growing in Queensland, specifically between Caboolture and Kin Kin, might be a slightly different species.
These Queensland trees were once called Endiandra lowiana by a scientist named F. M. Bailey in 1892. They look a bit different in their leaves and bark compared to the White Apple trees found in New South Wales. The Queensland trees are also similar to another tree called Endiandra pubens, but less hairy. The New South Wales trees are quite different from Endiandra pubens.
The original sample for Endiandra lowiana came from Maroochie (Yandina) in Queensland. The original sample for Endiandra virens came from the Clarence River in New South Wales. This means if the Queensland trees are indeed a separate species, they would keep the name Endiandra lowiana. The New South Wales trees would continue to be called Endiandra virens. Scientists are doing more detailed studies, including looking at the tree's genes, to figure out if these are two distinct types of trees.
Images for kids
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Endiandra virens - bark
